Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, and Ninna-ji can all be conveniently be seen by walking Kinukake no Michi road

Kinukake no Michi is a scenic road that connects Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, and Ninna-ji. It’s great for a leisurely walk combined with temple viewing.

Sometimes the buses in Kyoto can be quite crowded. This is why it may be a nice idea to walk for a bit if the weather is nice, so we went to Kinukake no Michi to see if the road was as beautiful as we had heard.

First, getting to Kinkaku-ji. The cheapest way is to take a bus from Kyoto Station straight to Kinkaku-ji, but these buses are usually crowded. The other way is to take the subway to Kitaoji Station, and from there take a bus to Kinkaku-ji.

Taking the bus from subway Kitaoji Station was surprisingly easy, as they have big blue signs all around and people who can tell you where to line up if you tell them the name of the temple you want to go to. If you take the bus here, you’re at Kinkakuji-michi bus stop in around 15 minutes, so the bus ride is not that bad.

So, first stop, Kinkaku-ji Temple! The entrance to Kinkaku-ji Temple is only 400 yen per person, which is rather cheap considering how expensive some other temples in Kyoto can be. This might be because at Kinkaku-ji Temple you cannot enter any of the buildings; you can just look at them from outside.

You’re not allowed to take group pictures inside the temple garden, so remember to take them before entering.

Kinkaku-ji Temple is very strict when it comes to using its pictures, which is why we have covered the temple with a postcard on the top photo too. The ticket to Kinkaku-ji Temple looks extremely Japanese.

After visiting Kinkaku-ji, we continued on Kinukake no Michi toward Ryoan-ji Temple. At first, the road looks very normal.

But after a while, you get to see more nature and the road starts to have a more Japanese feel to it. The road must be even nicer in spring.

Next, we get to Ryoan-ji Temple, most renowned for its rock garden.

What’s interesting about this rock garden is that there are 14 stones, but you can only see 13 at a time.

If you’re feeling like you’d like to have a small snack after walking all this way, there’s a rather nice café right in front of Ninna-ji Temple, Omuro Sanowa. Omuro Sanowa’s specialty is Linzer Torte, which you can enjoy with traditional Japanese tea.

There are actually quite many great walks in Kyoto, but not many of them can be as leisurely as the one you can have on Kinukake no Michi. The important part about enjoying Kinukake no Michi is to take your time and enjoy the three world heritage sites on the way. And afterward, you could go to Arashiyama, as it’s very easy to go to this sightseeing spot from Ninna-ji Temple by taking the Randen tram.